The Colonel's Wife — page 55: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

48 THROUGH FLAME AND SMOKE, Epon chen! !’? he shouted. ‘“‘T cannot—I am locked in, a prisoner,’’ came in- distinctly from beyond the door, for the flames were roaring and crackling with the fury of demons. He had not suspected this before, and the fact horrified him. Who could have been so cruel as to shut this girl up here and fire the house? John threw his weight against the door. It was not a cumbersome affair and when one who possessed such strength as nature had given to John Ridgeway beat upon it with desperate energy, some- thing was bound to give way. Thus he entered a room filled with smoke, entered it to find no one at the window, for the girl prisoner had sunk down in a heap. | Seeing that she was too exhausted to follow him, he immediately swept her form into his arms and turned to retreat. - The attic room was in a direct line of the fire, and in a few minutes must be ablaze, so that his rescue had been none too soon. Just as he expected his retreat was cut off, for the flames seemed to have followed him, and already the passage-way was a roaring abyss. Having already made up his mind as to what he should do John moved along to the short ladder that - went to the roof. Here was ascuttle which he burst iHrough and. _ gained the open air with his burden. Instead of bettering his condition it would seem as though John had gone deeper into the trap, but he _ knew what he was about, and had given the sergeant- orders with this end in view. He could see nothing around him, such were the . volumes of smoke that arose. __ The whole east end of the building was already in the grasp of the fiery octopus, and a west wind blow- comicbooks.com